jueves, 26 de noviembre de 2015

Future tenses

The auxiliary verb will is used in making predictions or simple statements of fact about the future.

The sun will rise at 6.30 tomorrow.

Lunch break today will be 10 minutes longer than usual.

In the year 2050 all students will have their own computers in school.

If you help me, I will help you.

Do you think she will come soon?

You won't pass your exams if you don't start working harder.

I know my parents won't let me go to the party.

Will it snow for Christmas?

I know she's sick, but will she be back in school tomorrow?

Intentions

The auxiliary verb going to is used in talking about intentions. (An intention is a plan for the future that you have already thought about.)

We're going to buy a new car next month.

I'm going to work in a bank when I leave school.

In the new year I'm going to stop eating so much junk.

He's not going to go to the dance. He's got too much work.

I'm not going to watch TV until my science project is finished.

Are you going to play basketball after school?

What are you going to have for lunch today?

Note: going to is often used in the past tense to talk about an unfulfilled intention. Examples: I
was going to study for my grammar test, but I had no time. / He was
going to call you, but he couldn't find his mobile phone. / My
grandmother was going to visit us, but she fell and broke her arm.

The present continuous tense is used in talking about arrangements. (An arrangement is is a plan for the future that you have already thought about and discussed with someone else.)

I'm meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow.

Our grandparents are visiting us this Christmas.

Sorry, I can't stay after school today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.

My sister's going to the dentist tomorrow.

I'm not returning home for the holidays, so I can come to your party after
all!

Are you doing anything on Sunday morning?

Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maiko next week?

Shall

"Shall" is used to indicate future action. It is most commonly used
in sentences with "I" or "we," and is often found in suggestions, such
as "Shall we go?" "Shall" is also frequently used in promises or
voluntary actions. In formal English, the use of "shall" to describe
future events often expresses inevitability or predestination. "Shall"
is much more commonly heard in British English than in American English;
Americans prefer to use other forms, although they do sometimes use
"shall" in suggestions or formalized language.

lunes, 16 de noviembre de 2015

Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a
1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native
language might have several translations depending on the situation.

There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:

Prepositions – Time

English

Usage

Example

on

days of the week

on Monday

in

months / seasons

time of day

year

after a certain period of time (when?)

in August / in winter

in the morning

in 2006

in an hour

at

for night

for weekend

a certain point of time (when?)

at night

at the weekend

at half past nine

since

from a certain point of time (past till now)

since 1980

for

over a certain period of time (past till now)

for 2 years

ago

a certain time in the past

2 years ago

before

earlier than a certain point of time

before 2004

to

telling the time

ten to six (5:50)

past

telling the time

ten past six (6:10)

to / till / until

marking the beginning and end of a period of time

from Monday to/till Friday

till / until

in the sense of how long something is going to last

He is on holiday until Friday.

by

in the sense of at the latest

up to a certain time

I will be back by 6 o’clock.

By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English

Usage

Example

in

room, building, street, town, country

book, paper etc.

car, taxi

picture, world

in the kitchen, in London

in the book

in the car, in a taxi

in the picture, in the world

at

meaning next to, by an object

for table

for events

place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)

miércoles, 4 de noviembre de 2015

USED TO.from www.englishpage.com

FORM

[used to + VERB]

Example:

I used to go to the beach every day.

It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms;
however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better
to ask questions and create negative sentences using Simple Past.

USE 1 Habit in the Past

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that
stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in
the past, but it is not usually done now.

Examples:

Jerry used to study English.

Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.

I used to start work at 9 o'clock.

Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

USE 2 Past Facts and Generalizations

"Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.

Examples:

I used to live in Paris.

Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.

George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.

Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.

"Used to" vs. Simple Past

Both Simple Past
and "Used to" can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past
generalizations; however, "used to" is preferred when emphasizing these
forms of past repetition in positive sentences. On the other hand, when
asking questions or making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.